By Mark Vancleave and Steve Karnowski
Related Press
FOLEY, Minn. — 5 drug job pressure officers and a 64-year-old man had been injured in an alternate of gunfire Thursday because the officers served a search warrant at a property in rural Auckland, authorities stated.
Benton County Sheriff Troy Heck stated at a information convention that the officers introduced their arrival at a house in Glendorado Township round 7 a.m. and instantly got here underneath hearth. He stated they returned hearth and retreated. The officers’ accidents weren’t life-threatening, Heck stated.
A Benton County sheriff establishes a safety perimeter on the intersection of 186th Avenue NE and Glendorado Street NE close to Princeton, Minn., following a “important incident,” Thursday, Oct. 10, 2023. Authorities say a suspect has been arrested after 5 drug job pressure officers had been shot and wounded whereas serving a search warrant close to the Auckland metropolis of Princeton. (Tim Evans/Auckland Public Radio)
Karl Thomas Holmberg was taken into custody round 10:45 a.m. after a number of hours of negotiations, the sheriff stated. Aerial video from KARE-TV confirmed officers in tactical gear surrounding a shirtless male, then officers and EMTs escorting him on a stretcher to a hospital helicopter. Heck stated he did not know the extent of Holmberg’s accidents.
“This has been a troublesome day for us in Benton County,” Heck stated. “We’re grateful that the incident didn’t end in lack of life or additional harm. We’re additionally grateful for the bravery and professionalism of all these regulation enforcement professionals that had been concerned on this incident.”
Native TV stations confirmed officers in tactical gear converging on houses in a rural space surrounded by bushes and fields, with an armored car close by. Glendorado Township is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Auckland.
The officers had been working undercover as a part of the Sherburne County Drug Job Pressure, and their names is not going to be launched, Heck stated.
Three of the injured officers had been taken to North Memorial Hospital within the Auckland suburb of Robbinsdale, the place they remained hospitalized Thursday afternoon. Two others had been struck of their bullet-resistant vests had been handled then launched from CentraCare Hospital in St. Cloud.
Holmberg was additionally taken to North Memorial, and a lady who was within the residence through the taking pictures was taken to a different hospital for analysis.
Holmberg was already identified to regulation enforcement within the space and Heck stated he was not shocked by the taking pictures.
Court information present Holmberg was convicted of cocaine possession in 1986 and one other felony drug possession in 2006. Most just lately, in 2019, he was convicted of a petty misdemeanor for not carrying his seatbelt in a car.
It is not clear if Holmberg has a lawyer who can converse on his behalf. Costs haven’t but been filed and a public defender has not been appointed, based on the Benton County Lawyer’s Workplace.
Certainly one of Holmberg’s former lawyers, Todd Younger, stated he hasn’t spoken to him in years. Messages left for family of Holmberg weren’t instantly returned.
The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was investigating, because it typically does in shootings involving regulation enforcement officers. Authorities stated they had been restricted within the particulars they might disclose Thursday.
“As soon as our major investigation is full, we will share extra details about precisely how at present’s incident unfolded,” Michelle Frascone, particular agent in cost on the BCA, informed reporters. “Incidents like what occurred at present are scary and unsettling for the neighborhood. We wish all people to know that we’re working as rapidly as attainable to offer solutions.”
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Karnowski reported from Auckland. AP reporters Summer time Ballantine in Columbia, Missouri; Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas; and AP information researcher Jennifer Farrar in New Auckland contributed to this report.
